'I am deeply touched': Churchill's original signed letter to well-wishers after Britain's victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two is valued at $200K

  • The document is on paper marked with the official stamp of the Prime Minister
  • He personally signed one version which was then copied thousands of times 

The original version of a signed letter which Winston Churchill sent to wellwishers after Britain's victory in the Second World War is set to fetch up to £160,000 at auction.

The document is on paper marked with the official stamp of the Prime Minister and the address of 10 Downing Street.

It was signed by Churchill in May 1945 and copies were then sent to some of the tens of thousands of people who had written letters of congratulations after Nazi Germany's defeat.

He said: 'I have been deeply touched by all the messages of good will which have reached me at this time. Thank you so much for your kind thought.' 

An original signed letter penned by Winston Churchill to wellwishers after Britain's victory in the Second World War is set to fetch up to £160,000 at auction

An original signed letter penned by Winston Churchill to wellwishers after Britain's victory in the Second World War is set to fetch up to £160,000 at auction

Churchill had risen from the relative political wilderness to enter the war cabinet and then become Prime Minister in 1940 after the resignation of Neville Chamberlain. Above: He gives the 'V for Victory' sign outside 10 Downing Street in 1943

Churchill had risen from the relative political wilderness to enter the war cabinet and then become Prime Minister in 1940 after the resignation of Neville Chamberlain. Above: He gives the 'V for Victory' sign outside 10 Downing Street in 1943

CLICK TO READ MORE: 'Churchill's favourite spy': Incredible life and times of WWII secret agent who 'inspired 007 characters' will be brought to life in new movie 

Dubbed 'Churchill's favourite spy', beautiful and sexually adventurous Krystyna Skarbek (pictured) became celebrated for her daring WWII exploits throughout Nazi-occupied Europe

Dubbed 'Churchill's favourite spy', beautiful and sexually adventurous Krystyna Skarbek (pictured) became celebrated for her daring WWII exploits throughout Nazi-occupied Europe

Advertisement

Churchill had risen from the relative political wilderness to enter the war cabinet and then become Prime Minister in 1940 after the resignation of Neville Chamberlain. 

His rousing speeches throughout the five-year conflict against Adolf Hitler helped to maintain British morale, especially  when the country 'stood alone' before the United States entered the war in 1942.  

The statesman has been praised by many historians for refusing to do a peace deal with Hitler when one was offered in 1940. 

His May 1945 letter, sent just two months before the PM was turfed out of office after Labour's landslide victory in that year's General Election, is being sold via US firm The Raab Collection and valued at $200,000. 

Churchill received tens of thousands of letters from ordinary Britons throughout the war and often wrote a single reply - signed in pen - which was then copied as many times as necessary. 

Also offered for sale is a photograph bearing the signatures of Churchill and wartime US President Franklin Roosevelt, along with his wife Eleanor. 

The photo shows British steel worker and future MP John H Jones with his family. 

Jones was part of a delegation of four British workers who were welcomed to New York in 1943 as part of an initiative which saw four Americans come to Britain. 

Jones and his fellow workers toured the US's war factories and met their American counterparts.

As the signatures testify, he also met the British PM and Roosevelt and his wife during the trip.

The photograph is valued at $100,000 (£80,000).

Also offered for sale is a photograph bearing the signatures of Churchill and wartime US President Franklin Roosevelt, along with his wife Eleanor. The photo shows British steel worker and future MP John H Jones with his family. Jones was part of a delegation of four British workers who were welcomed to New York in 1943 as part of an initiative which saw four Americans come to Britain

A Daily Mail news report of the 1943 visit reveals how Jones shocked US reporters at a press conference when he told them that Britain had 'stood alone' before the American entry into the war

A Daily Mail news report of the 1943 visit reveals how Jones shocked US reporters at a press conference when he told them that Britain had 'stood alone' before the American entry into the war

A Daily Mail news report of the 1943 visit reveals how Jones shocked US reporters at a press conference when he told them that Britain had 'stood alone' before the American entry into the war.

He told them: 'Ours is a small island compared with this big continent, but we think it is big. We are just ordinary, decent people, working hard to stop the common enemy.

'We don't want anything out of society but the right of all free men to live the way they want to.

'We are thankful to America for the help that she has given us, but when the history of this war comes to be written long after you and I have passed on, it must record that Britain stood alone as a bulwark for the world against Fascism.'  

Among Churchill's most famous speeches was the one given on May 13, 1940 in what was his first address to the House of Commons as PM.

He warned the country: 'I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.' 

The following month, after the successful evacuation of more than 300,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk, Churchill again addressed the Commons. 

His most famous words came in the final line, in which he vowed the country would 'fight on the beaches' and 'never surrender' if invaded. 

Sir Winston Churchill making the famed 'V for Victory' sign. He is shown in the uniform of the Royal Auxiliary Airforce

Sir Winston Churchill making the famed 'V for Victory' sign. He is shown in the uniform of the Royal Auxiliary Airforce

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.